🏛️ History & Art-CultureUPSC 2011British Policies in India

Which amongst the following provided a common factor for tribal insurrection in India in the 19th century?

aIntroduction of a new system of land revenue and taxation of tribal products
bInfluence of foreign religious missionaries in tribal areas
cRise of a large number of money lenders, traders and revenue farmers as middlemen in tribal areas
dThe complete disruption of the old agrarian order of the tribal communities
✓ Correct answer: d) The complete disruption of the old agrarian order of the tribal communities
ExplanationTribal revolts in 19th-century India were driven by the disruption of traditional tribal life, which centered on shifting cultivation, hunting, and forest produce during colonial rule.Option (d) is correct:The influx of non-tribals and the imposition of settled agriculture led to land loss for tribals.Restrictions on forest resources and shifting agriculture, along with the introduction of moneylenders, reduced tribals to landless laborers and bonded peasants.The establishment of government monopolies on forests (1865-1878) further exploited tribes.Tribal egalitarianism was replaced by caste-based inequalities, and the influence of Christian missionaries also fueled resentment leading to uprisings like the Kol Rebellion (1832), Santhal Rebellion (1855-56), and Munda Rebellion (1899-1900).33

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